Anna Li of Aurora, who defied the odds stacked against her and won a spot as an alternate on the U.S. Olympic gymnastics team, has dropped out of the games.
The 23-year-old was injured during training in Birmingham, outside of London, on July 24th on the uneven bars.
She told FOX Chicago News over the phone from her hotel room Thursday, "I'm doing okay physically. Training has been going extremely well for me here, and I was done doing my routines, and I was taking one extra turn to do a dismount, and I peeled off the bars. So I guess in non-gymnastics terms, I slipped and so when I landed, I felt pain right away in my neck. So it was a little scary."
Li tore a ligament in her neck and now wears a cervical collar. She recently tweeted a photo of her displaying that she was in good spirits. In the photo, she has a big smile, and holds one thumb up while wearing a neckbrace. She says she is thankful the injuries weren't more serious. Doctors recommended she stop training.
"Emotionally it's a little difficult because when you are training for the Olympics and you're in your top peak shape and you're doing your routines, like something that is super easy to do, it's difficult to be knocked down in such a quick moment," Li said.
Dr. Alex Ghanayem an orthopedic surgeon at Loyola University medical center says it could have been a lot worse.
"From a spine standpoint, the worst thing is breaking your neck and being paralyzed and that does happen occasionally. There was one that happened a number of years ago to a gymnast," he said.
Li, whose parents are both Olympic gymnastics medalist, was considered 7 years too old, too tall, and too heavy to compete. When it was officially announced two weeks ago that she had landed a spot with 2 other alternates to back the U.S. gymnastics team of five, Li's hometown gave her a hero's send off.
Li heads to London on Saturday to cheer on her number one team and feels confident that she did her job, "and I know I did it really well, so I know I'm proud for being here."
